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The Knicks led by as many as 17. The Bulls
trimmed their deficit to four points on a Nikola Vucevic layup
with 7:54 left in the game but couldn't match New York's depth
down the stretch.
Brunson led the charge with his second 40-point game in a row
and his 10th this season, second most in the NBA. He finished
13-for-24 from the floor, including 7-for-12 from deep, while
also dishing out eight assists.
Hart had 17 points and 13 rebounds while Donte DiVincenzo (21
points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (11) also scored in double
figures.
Chicago (37-42) maintained a one-game lead on the Atlanta Hawks
for home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference play-in
tournament game between the 9 and 10 seeds. The Bulls also hold
the tiebreaker.
DeMar DeRozan paced Chicago with 34 points. Vucevic (26 points)
and Coby White (24) followed, while Javonte Green grabbed 12
boards.
Brunson enjoyed a strong first half, collecting 24 points and
five assists. But his lone turnover of the game triggered a wild
sequence just before intermission.
Moments after Vucevic swished a 3 to draw the Bulls within six
points, White swooped in to intercept Brunson's inbounds pass
and drilled a trey with 1.6 seconds left. It was White's 205th
3-pointer of the season, setting a new single-season franchise
record.
New York still had time for another shot, however, and
capitalized. DiVincenzo banked in a buzzer-beating trey from
just beyond half court to send the Knicks into the locker room
with a 68-62 lead.
Bulls big man Andre Drummond left the game with a left ankle
injury early in the second quarter and needed to be wheeled off
the court.
New York leads the season series 2-1. The Knicks are set to host
the Bulls in the regular-season finale on Sunday.
--Field Level Media
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